Charles Woodson signs 1-year contract worth up to $4.3 million with Raiders

San Francisco Chronicle | May 22

Defensive back Charles Woodson signed a one-year deal with the Raiders Tuesday night.

And while the fan support surely played a factor so did $4.3 million, which is what Woodson can earn including incentives. That includes a $700,000 signing bonus for a 36-year-old player who had very little interest on the free-agent market until recently.

The newly-signed Woodson had a message to the fans on Raiders.com: “Just win, baby.”

Woodson spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Raiders, who drafted him fourth overall in 1998, before playing the last seven years for the Green Bay Packers. He helped them to a Super Bowl title after the 2010 season, and had originally said he wants to play for a contender when the Packers cut him in February.

Woodson has 55 interceptions in his career and was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound eight-time Pro Bowler also has 17 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions returned for touchdowns, which is second-most in NFL history.

In 2012, Woodson moved from cornerback to safety but broke his collarbone on Oct. 21. Prior to his injury, Woodson had started at least 14 games in 10 of his previous 12 seasons.

Here is the Denver Post’s Mike Klis’ account:Instead of accepting a one-year offer with the Broncos, who finished as the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a 13-3 record last year, the 36-year-old Woodson signed a one-year deal Monday with the lowly Oakland Raiders, who were 4-12.